Vertigo Comics artist Richard Pace tried to defend Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi and his depiction of Luke Skywalker by arguing “Luke’s actions in the last film are completely in character with what what he learned in ESB [Empire Strike’s Back] and how he acted in ROTJ [Return of the Jedi]. Star Wars fans weren’t buying the argument and promptly roasted him.

Here’s Pace’s full argument:

There’s a wilful ignorance of Luke and the lessons he learned in the first trilogy among many of the people who hate The Last Jedi. pic.twitter.com/Ho47uUfg2h

It’s akin to Christians wanting a bloodthirsty Jesus in THE NEW TESTAMENT: THE LAST MESSIAH
Johnson understood the source material better than most critics, and they’ll never forgive him pic.twitter.com/lQkNLzJJDv

If he’s such a wise hero in TLJ, then why is his arc a complete 180? Why does he reject the teachings of the jedi in the beginning only to be convinced by Rey they are worth saving? It’s because you explanation is nonsense and they doubled down on MaREY Sue.

As a number of folks point out, Tarkin died in the explosion on the Death Star in Star Wars: A New Hope.

But let’s look at more of Pace’s argument. One of his main points is that he believes Luke wouldn’t race off to try and help save the galaxy once again if he felt his sister was in danger through the Force. Pace argues the last time he did that it ended in disaster in Empire Strikes Back. He’s right. Skywalker is defeated by Vader. However, Skywalker does the same thing in Return of the Jedi.

In Return of the Jedi, his confidence, near arrogance, almost gets the best of him as he walks into Jabba the Hutt’s palace demanding the release of Han Solo. In fact, Luke loses again soundly. First, he’s dropped into the Rancor pit, and then he’s captured and dragged out to the Sarlacc Pit to be eaten. Did he learn a lesson from Empire? Yes, he had a back-up plan with Lando and R2D2. However, he still charged in.

Luke would make a similar play later in the movie when he surrenders to Darth Vader in the hopes that he can save his father. He even tells Vader, That was why you couldn’t destroy me. That’s why you won’t bring me to your Emperor now.” His initial plan backfires and Vader takes him to the Emperor.

And when he confronts the Emperor, Luke is willing to sacrifice his life in order to kill him as he tells him, “Soon I’ll be dead and you with me.”

The Last Jedi is nothing like the Luke Skywalker we see at the end of the Return of the Jedi. He’s a coward who is hiding out on a remote planet afraid of Kylo Ren and Snoke. He’s not the warrior who is willing to sacrifice his life in order to save his friends, his father, and the galaxy.

Richard Pace should revisit the source material before making more outlandish arguments in favor of a film that completely disrespects its fan base and ruins Luke Skywalker.

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